


New Normal (still pretty fucking weird)

by amaresu



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, also mention of centipedes, discussions of spiders, just actual bugs, no actual spiders though, not web or corruption, post episode 136
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 17:31:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18665074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amaresu/pseuds/amaresu
Summary: Post episode 136 - The trip for drinksThe Archives are not their home, but it doesn't have to be horrible.





	New Normal (still pretty fucking weird)

Basira agreed to drinks with surprising grace. She’d barely started to come up with excuses before looking at Daisy and quietly agreeing. Jon found himself following along as Basira lead them out of the Institute and into the sunlight. They all stopped for a minute to feel the sun on their skin before Daisy nodded her head, “This way.”

Basira nodded, “The Ox?” It wasn’t really a question and Daisy didn’t really answer, but Jon didn’t think Basira was looking for an answer. “I’m going to text Melanie. Not sure when she’s done with her appointment, but she can join us.”

Jon didn’t think she would, but he kept his mouth shut. Daisy was just barely smiling and Basira seemed to be relaxing with each step, her shoulders unknotting little by little. He couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing without noticing as they walked down the street. After a second of thought he decided not to think about it in case he stopped doing it. Relaxation looked good on Daisy and Basira, he hoped it looked good on him too.

Basira texted Melanie a few more times after they got to the Ox, a dive bar not too far from the Institute. Basira and Daisy had clearly been there before, nodding at the bartender as they walked past to a table in the back, and when he asked Basira just said, “Melanie used to come out with us. So did Martin. And Tim.”

It hit him every so often just how much he’d insulated himself and how impossible it had been to tear it all down. Gratitude for Daisy almost overwhelmed him for a moment.

It was still a surprise when Melanie actually showed up. She drank an entire pint and got a new round for everyone before she eventually sat down in the booth it was next to Jon. Somehow he kept himself from squeezing into the corner and she kept from flinching when their arms brushed, so it was as good as Jon could hope for, really. 

“Have any of you ever been in a spider house?” Melanie asked suddenly, interrupting a story Daisy was telling about Basira and a man covered in whipped cream.

“A what?” Jon couldn’t keep the sure horror of the thought out of his voice. Daisy looked equally as confused and appalled forgetting her story entirely. 

At the same time he asked that Basira snorted, “That’s a myth. No way it actually happens.”

“Yes, it does,” Melanie insisted before taking another drink from her cup. “Few years ago I visited a friend in America. I wasn’t staying with them so they hadn’t told me, but their rental house was a spider house.”

Jon took a deep breath, “I’m going to regret asking this, but I suspect anything my mind can make up will be worse. What is a spider house?”

Melanie smiled at him and he could see the glint of Slaughter still hiding in her eyes, “A house with so many spiders they just eat each other. No bugs for them to catch because they ate them all, just other spiders. My friend’s oldest son would go through the kitchen every morning killing spiders on the ceiling. He said there was usually only three or four, but he’d had days with as many as ten.”  
Jon took a deep breath and finished off his drink, trying to get the idea of a house full of spiders out of his head, “How could they possibly live there?”

“They couldn’t afford to break their lease,” Melanie snorted suddenly a hint of laughter in her voice, “That and the centipedes.”

“What?” Daisy asked with a dead tone and terror in her eyes that Jon could recognize all too easily. 

“Killed the spiders,” Melanie smiled at Daisy this time. “They never killed any centipedes, considered them their allied combatants against the spiders. They’d cheer on the creepy little shits if they saw them crawling across the ceiling.”

They were all silent for a moment, trying to imagine living in a place like that. Finally Basira was the one to talk, “I think I’d burn down the house.”

“You’d think,” Melanie said. “Prior to living there I think any one of them would have said the same, but it’s amazing what you can get used to.”

“I’d never get used to spiders,” Jon couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

“You got used to little Jane Prentiss worms,” Melanie said as she wiggled her fingers at him. “I’m just saying that people can make anything their new normal. Even spiders and centipedes.”

“Or living in their work’s basement?” Basira was actually smiling as she asked the question.

“Not saying we couldn’t use a bigger fridge or a toaster oven to go with the hotplate and microwave, but yeah,” Melanie said as she leaned back in the booth.

Jon prodded her to get up, “I’ll get the next round.”

He let the thought go over in his head, trying to avoid the idea of so many spiders just eating each other to survive. When he got back it looked like everyone else was lost in their own, equally arachnid filled, thoughts and Melanie just slide over instead of getting up to let him in. “Does Amazon have refrigerators?”

“What?” Melanie said as she grabbed a glass, staring at him.

Taking his own glass he asked again, “Does Amazon have refrigerators? I’m not exactly using my paycheck for much, pretty sure I could get a new refrigerator delivered.”

Basira snorted and reached for her own cup, “If we’re getting a toaster oven we’re getting a good one. I’ll take care of that. I’m still paying for the rent on my flat, but I’ve got lots of money banked at this point.”

“Wonder if I’ll get paid now that I’m officially employed? Should talk to HR tomorrow.” Daisy said, leaning back and slipping an arm around Basira’s shoulders.

Somehow Jon let himself relax into the planning and ideas about grocery lists and countertop dishwashers. If people can live in spider houses than they can make the Archives a bit more hospitable.


End file.
